Fixture adapter



Oct. 9, 1934. J. STONE 1,976,199

FIXTURE ADAPTER Filed July 28, 1931 WITNESS \NVENTOR flip Jesse Sfone.

Patented Oct. 9, 1934 FIXTURE ADAPTER Jesse Stone, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application July 28, 1931, Serial No. 553,590

Claims.

My invention relates to fixture adapters or fixture supports having an adjustable ofi-set extension, and has special reference to a wall outlet device to permit the fixture itself to be located 5 in the correct finished position.

In the wiring of new buildings and additional wiring of old buildings, it is often impossible to locate the outlet or wall box in the proper position with respect to the desired location of the fixture itself. For example, when rough openings are made for doors, windows, cabinets, etc., an allowance is, of course, made for truing and squaring the jambs and cabinets. It is likely that the trim will be from to A out of true, thus causing one wall outletto be nearer to or farther from the trim than the other wall outlet. Moreover, when setting wall outlets in brick or tile walls, it is often impossible to set the outlet box at the exact desired location by reason of the particular area of brick or key bricks that would have to be removed. As a result, at times, one box is higher than another or otherwise unsymmetrically located. Of course, there are always the additional possibilities of errors in measurement and accidental jarring by other workmen.

One object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a fixture adapter for engaging the usual stud at the back of an outlet box and having a pivotaliy mounted element for engaging the fixture proper in the correct position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a fixture adapter of the type set forth above, in which two cooperative parts are provided for properly positioning a fixture, the parts being rotatably movable independently of each other.

A furtherobject of my invention is to provide a fixture adapter that is relatively simple in construction and may be readily'installed in such a way as to effect eccentric pivotal location of one member, in order to permit the fixture proper to be concentrically located.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a fixture adapter comprising two comple- 45 mental members having a pivotal connection to permit the assumption by them of various relatively eccentric positions.

A further object of my invention is to provide interfitting means in two complemental members of a fixture adapter to rigidly maintain or lock the members in the desired final position.

Other objects of my invention will become evident irom the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a view in end elevation of a wall outlet equipped with my fixture adapter.

Fig. 2 is a view in longitudinal section of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, together with a fixture, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of my fixture adapter proper.

Referring to the drawing, the structure here shown comprises a suitable wall outlet box 1 shown as octagonal in shape and having a screwthreaded stud 2 secured to the back wall of the box at the center thereof. The outlet is shown as associated with a wall section 3 in the usual way, being eccentrically positioned for the reason set forth above with respect to the fixture proper i; the latter, by reason of the use of my device, however, being located concentrically or in the exact symmetrical position that is desired.

Outlet boxes of this type are usually, at least, 1 deep, and by reason of being set back in the plastered wall, in order to be fully concealed, it is necessary to use one or more extensions to bring the part actually connected to the fixture post approximately flush with the plaster finish.

My fixture adapter meets this requirement and comprises two separate screw-threaded members '7 and 8 pivotally joined by a suitable pivotal meniber, which may be an ordinary machine screw 9.

The inner or lower member or element 8 is provided with a suitable annular wall 15 having at one portion thereof a triangular lateral extension lGprovided with an aperture 17, through which the lower portion of the machine screw 9 passes. The internal surface 6 of the member 8 is screw-threaded at a pitch suitable to permit securing thereof to the screw-threaded stud 2 of the outlet box. In order to permit locking the member 8 in any desired rotative position, a small set screw 19 traverses a lug 18 on the wall 15 at a point opposite the extension 16, the screw passing through the lug l8 and the corresponding portion of the wall 15, in order to engage the stud 2 within the screw-threaded portion 6.

The upper or outer member or element 7 is prom0 vided with a base 10 having a triangular lateral extension 11 at one side thereof which is provided with an aperture 12, through which the upper portion of the machine screw 9 passes. The inner opening 13 through the member 7 is screwthreaded and of two different diameters, such as A" and in order to engage a similarly screwthreaded fixture post of either diameter. The outer surface is also screw-threaded, but of coarser pitch, as indicated at 14, in order to permit atno tachment to a hollow fixture post where this type is provided.

The machine screw 9 passes through the opening 12 in the part '7 and the opening 17 in the part 8 thereby pivotally joining the two members through their alined extensions 11 and 16. To permit locking the machine screw in a given position which will, however, still permit ready pivotal movement, a lock washer 22 is preferably provided just beneath the head of the machine screw.

To hold the upper and lower members 7 and 8 firmly in position, with no liability of slipping after the machine screw 9 is tightened to hold the members in a desired relative position, an inverted frusto-conical boss 23 is provided on the lower side of extension 11 of upper member 7, while a correspondingly shaped depression 24 is located on the upper side of extension 16 of lower member 8. When machine screw 9 is tightened, the boss 23 thus wedges in depression 24 to hold the members 7 and 8 tightly together.

By reason of the relative sizes of the illustrated wall outlet and my fixture adapter, it will be noted that for a given selected and fixed location of the lower member 8 upon the stud 2, the upper member 7 may be swung around the pivotal point or machine screw 9 through an angle of approximately 90, the outer limits being determined by engagement with the adjacent walls of the octagonal wall outlet. However, it will be understood that if a smaller adapter or a larger wall outlet box were used, this particular relation of parts would not hold, and my invention is not to be restricted to this particular condition.

Whenever a wall outlet box is found to be off center either horizontally, vertically or diagona ly with respect to the desired finished location of the fixture proper, the lower member 8 is screwed on the stud 2, with the upper member or element '7 conveniently resting directly above it. The

upper member 7 is then extended in the desired direction, thus giving the efieot of laterally moving the stud 2 to a corresponding degree. The set screw 19 is then screwed home to rigidly position the lower member 8, after which the upper member 7 may be swung within the above mentioned limits of 90 or within any other permitted limits until the centerline of the screw-threaded portion 13 coincides with the centerline of the fixture post when the latter is located in the desired finished position. The machine screw 9 may then be screwed downwardly into a locked position by means of the interfitting boss 23 and depression 24, and the fixture post screwed into or on the upper member '7, whereupon the fixture will be rigidly held in its desired symmetrical position.

For the sake of clearness of illustration, the boss 23 and the depression 24 are shown in nonengaging positions. It will be understood, however, that in the final condition of my adapter,

the boss and depression closely engage or interfit, in order to produce the desired locking action.

It will be seen that I have thus provided a relatively simple but very effective adapter which may be readily installed to take care of any mislocation of the wall outlet box within reasonable limits and whereby the fixture may be quickly and rigidly positioned in its desired locations By reason of the use of the pivotal connection between the upper and lower members, the desired installation may be made very easily and quickly and without requiring any particularly nice adjustments or cut-and-try positions of the lower member 8 upon the stud 2. The use of this fitting or adapter will thus save considerable time and expense in installing wall fixtures and is relatively simple in character and inexpensive to manufacture, while at the same time providing a rigid fixture support.

I do not wish to be restricted to the specific structural details or arrangement of parts herein set forth, as various modifications thereof may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

.I claim as my invention:

1. A fixture adapter comprising an annular screw-threaded member for engaging a stud, a screw projecting through one wall of said member for fixedly securing it to said stud, a fixtureengaging member, and a pivotal member piercing alined portions of said other members to permit eccentric relations of. said stud and said fixture.

2. A fixture adapter comprising an annular screw-threaded member for engaging a stud, a second annular screw-threaded member for engaging a fixture, and a screw-threaded member connecting portions of said other members near the outer peripheries thereofi 3. A fixture adapter comprising an annular screw-threadedmember for engaging a stud, a second annular screw-threaded member for engaging a fixture, both ofsaid members having localized lateral extensions, and a screw-threaded member connecting said extensions.

4. A fixture adapter having a screw-threaded member for engaging a stud and having a lat- 

